The Idaho Enterprise | February 24, 2022

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Enterprise The Idaho

Oneida County's News Since 1879 Malad City, Idaho

February 24, 2022 |Vol. 142 No. 08

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Museum Restoration Project The Oneida County Pioneer Museum is the primary repository of historical documents, information, and artifacts in the region. Over the course of time, the museum has accumulated a large inventory of objects from the county’s history, from a library of historical documents to the eye-catching bear skin that hangs behind the museum’s front counter. One of the largest collections in the museum consists of clothing items that contain the long and evolving history of the county in their own way. Because clothing items are primarily composed of organic materials such as cotton, wool, and animal fur, they are also in need of careful cataloging and restoration. For that reason, the museum secured a grant to bring in vintage clothing restorer Jo Ann Peters from BYU-Idaho, as well as her intern Brianne McDougal. The two have been carefully working through the museum’s holdings for the last several weeks, and have made a number of interesting discoveries. JoAnn Peters, Adjunct Professor at BYU-Idaho, teaches a range of courses in the apparel design program and believes strongly in the idea that materials from the past are very helpful for stu-

dents in modern design programs to become familiar with. The apparel design major “starts out with beginning sewing, and we teach them how to do that as well as pattern making and design. We want graduates to come out of the experience ready to work in the industry today. These historic clothes have a richness of patterns and materials that are very helpful for understanding design.” Intern Brianne McDougal agrees. She has recently completed a course for the major that utilizes CAD (Computer Assisted Drafting) to create 3D models of the clothing designs that students design to help visualize them. “We use an avatar, and then stitch our designs together to see how it would look. I’m fascinated by pattern making, and that’s one reason it’s amazing to see all of these old designs. I think I find a new favorite dress every few minutes. There’s just a lot of amazing work here.” Jo Ann McDougal, the granddaughter of Norman Jaussi, has also been able to explore her own roots in the area. “The early pioneer women were their own dressmakers, and so the clothes are all basically unique. If you didn’t know how to sew, you

had to take your clothes to someone who did, so towns like Malad had a lot of talented dressmakers.” The two have come across many skillfully made examples from a range of eras. Peters fell in love with a purple wedding dress made of velvet, which she felt was “really heavy and just gorgeous!” McDougal explains that, for her part, “I love the clothes from about 1919 back, specifically. They worked really hard to make the things their own, and you can really see the personality come through.” Peters, who has also worked in a preservation capacity for other museum collections, including in Bingham County, decided to return to school after her children were raised. After completing a program at Cal State Long Beach, she began her work documenting and preserving historic clothing items. “It’s been a fun adventure!” she says. “It’s like a treasure hunt—finding new skills to take back to the university, especially with some things that have kind of been lost. There are all kinds of techniques to put clothing together than have almost disappeared, but that we find in clothes like these. People used

Intern Brianne McDougal explains how the catalog would describe this lavender jacket and skirt for archival purposes

to spend a lot more time on clothes than we do in today’s fast paced world.” While driving back and forth from BYU-Ida-

ho to Utah, she says that Malad was always on her mind. “I just knew I needed to stop,” she says. And once she saw the holdings at the museum, she knew she wanted

to be involved in keeping the clothing as well-preserved as possible. “So MUSEUM RESTORATION PROJECT On Page 2

Local Athlete Cooper Jones Signs Letter of Intent with University of Montana Western

Cooper Jones recently signed a letter of intent to become a University of Montana Western Bulldog

The Bulldogs of the University of Montana Western gained an MHS Dragon to add to their football team as senior Cooper Jones committed to play football for the division II team February 7. Cooper Jones, son of Chris Jones and Emily Smith, has always loved playing football and dreamed of someday playing beyond high school. As a young boy, he had opportunities to meet and learn from NFL players that fueled his dream. Like any dream, it has required a lot of hard work and effort throughout the years, but he is beginning to see that hard work paying off. With the help and support of his family and coaches, Chris worked to contact football programs across the country to show his interest in playing college football. He compiled a highlight video along with statistics to send to colleges, hoping to hear feedback of how he could be a better player and ultimately, what it would take for him to accomplish his dream. In the summer of 2021, Cooper was able

The whole family is overwhelmed with pride and joy at Cooper’s hard work and accomplishments.” to attend a college football junior day, along with other college hopefuls, to show off his skills and agility to several football coaches. There he met coaches from Montana Western and became interested in playing for the Bulldogs. For several months Cooper has been receiving offers from several colleges, including Kansas, Texas, North Dakota, and Arizona, but it was the offer from Montana Western that piqued his interest. Cooper, family and friends made the trek north to Dillon, Montana February 6 to tour the campus and meet members of the coaching staff and football team. It was on that campus visit that the Bulldogs offered Cooper a place with their team to play as wide receiver and

Chris Jones

defensive back along with a four year, full ride scholarship. Without hesitation, Cooper committed and is excited for the new possibilities awaiting him as a University of Montana Western Bulldog. Throughout Cooper’s time playing football, his dad, Chris Jones has noticed how he is always trying “to grab a kid and help him along.” While his own learning and progression in the game was important, it was also important for him to be able to help someone else along the way. Even as he was signing to play for the Bulldogs, Cooper said to a friend, “Now I can come back and help you get better.” Chris also shared, “The whole family is overwhelmed with pride and joy at Cooper’s hard work and accomplishments.”


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